DIVISION II

New Albany (10-1) vs. Mansfield Senior (11-0), at Olentangy Liberty

New Albany coach Pat Samanich has a plan to stymie Mansfield’s offense and its third-year starting quarterback Jalen Reese. The Tygers averaged 471 yards, split almost equally between the run and pass.

“What we need to do is keep them on the sideline, and the best way to achieve that is by running our system, controlling the ball, using our physicality to get them on their heels and by not turning the ball over,” Samanich said. “I realize that’s a lot easier said than done. That’s a really athletic team we’re going up against, a team that likes to get you in space like Westerville Central does.”

Mansfield’s top running backs are Tyquan Vickers and Chekiah Washington. The return of 6-foot-6 basketball player Robert Jones from an injury yielded three jump-ball passes for touchdowns in a 24-0 win over Licking Heights last week.

“We’re going to have to work on giving Reese some different looks and try to get him out of his comfort zone,” Samanich said. “He’s got great poise, presence and athleticism. We have to watch him all over the field.”

Worthington Kilbourne (10-1) vs. Zanesville (11-0), at Gahanna

This should be a memorable matchup, pitting Kilbourne’s defense against a Zanesville offense scoring 51.4 points per game. The Blue Devils are led by quarterback Thomas Wibbeler, who has thrown for 2,934 yards, 42 touchdowns and only six interceptions. His top targets are Dar Stanford (53 catches for 1,012 yards, 13 TDs) and J.T. McFarland (44 for 727, nine TDs).

“They’re very efficient and very effective in getting the ball to their skill guys,” Kilbourne coach Vince Trombetti said. “We’ll have to get some pressure on him and try to get him out of rhythm. We hope to switch up man and zone coverages and disguise some coverages.”

A defensive coach by trade, Trombetti is proud of his defense, which comes in allowing 10 points per game. Linebacker Taylor Wilson sparked the Wolves’ 38-3 rout of Dublin Scioto last week with 10 tackles and two interceptions, one that he returned for a touchdown.

“You always wonder what’s going to happen when the bubble bursts and things don’t go like you plan,” Trombetti said. “We had one game like that against Hamilton Township (a 28-23 win), but 12 is the most points our first-team defense has given up since then. I keep wondering how good we are on defense. This game will tell us a lot.”

DIVISION III

Marion-Franklin (10-1) vs. Brookhaven (9-2), at DeSales

Although these teams play in different divisions of the City League, they have forged quite a rivalry. This marks their third playoff meeting and eighth overall since 2009. Marion-Franklin has won six times, but except for a 27-2 win this season, most of the games have been competitive.

“They’ve had some personnel changes since the first game, including a quarterback (Macyah Fleming) who is more of a passing threat,” Marion-Franklin coach Brian Haffele said. “They’re a much different team then we saw nine weeks ago. They seem to have a little bit of that Brookhaven swag back.”

Brookhaven coach Trevor White knows he will face a different Marion-Franklin team, as well.

“They’ve finally settled on a quarterback (Justin Tyler), and he was really impressive last week,” White said. “No matter how you slice it, they’re an impressive team. They’re big, fast, athletic and deep, and nobody likes to go up against that.”

Haffele and White are close friends and communicate almost daily. Some of their friends have made friendly wagers, but the coaches are mostly business.

“Trevor laughed at me about the game being played across the street (from Brookhaven),” Haffele said, “I just said, ‘OK, I’ll talk to you again next Friday night.’ ”

DIVISION IV

River Valley (11-0) vs. Bryan (11-0), at Findlay

River Valley coach Doug Green said his players were stoked about practicing in the snow, a phenomenon that only teams that advance in the playoffs can lay claim to. The Vikings’ 36-25 victory over Millbury Lake marked their first postseason win in five tries.

Next, they must be concerned about the passing of Bryan quarterback Austin Schimmoeller, who has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and run for 700. The Golden Bears, who average 48 points, defeated unbeaten Genoa Area 43-36 last week. Their lowest score is 28 points.

River Valley scores 38.4 points and allows 12.4. The Vikings amassed the most computer points in the division.

“Before the season, you don’t sit down and wonder about going undefeated,” Green said. “We knew we had 15 seniors, and we thought we had a chance to be a pretty good team.”

DIVISION VI

Ready (10-1) vs. Woodsfield Monroe (8-3), at Zanesville

Joel Cutler said he and his Ready assistants will have their work cut out trying to stay a step ahead of Woodsfield Monroe counterpart Jay Circosta, who, with 321 victories, ranks in the top 10 in Ohio history. Cutler is in his second season.

“They run a lot of different schemes on the defensive side of the ball, and they’re extremely well-coached, and I think it might come down to who makes the best adjustments — or perhaps adjustments to those adjustments — at halftime,” Cutler said. “We’re really impressed with their defense. They fly to the ball like a bunch of banshees.”

Led by senior running back Akili Taylor (1,751 yards, 23 TDs), Ready comes in scoring 50.9 points and averaging 444 yards in total offense. Quarterback Matt Yoho bounced back from a subpar performance in a regular-season finale loss to Hartley by leading the Knights to a 48-6 win over Oak Hill last week.

Woodsfield Monroe averages 36 points and allows 14.4. Cutler said he was especially impressed with the playmaking abilities of quarterback Curtis Nixon.

Lucasville Valley fits the southern Ohio stereotype of high-school football: big, strong linemen paving the way for a power running game.

“Although they can throw, running seems to be their recipe for success from what we’ve seen on film,” Newark Catholic coach Bill Franks said. “Football is a big deal in their community, and they’ve enjoyed some success in the playoffs in recent years.”

Nate Arnett (1,307 yards) is the leading rusher for Lucasville Valley, which reached the Division V regional finals in 2011 and 2012.

No team has a richer tradition than Newark Catholic, which is No. 1 in the state in playoff appearances (33) and wins (68) and is tied for second in championships (eight). The Green Wave was runner-up for a record-tying sixth time in 2012.

“We’re a similar team to last year in that we don’t have one big star, just a bunch of guys willing to do what it takes to get the job done,” Franks said.